“Tonight, Phil Hughes is getting his first major league start. Thus far this season, he has made three starts in Triple A Scranton and has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.86 ERA. His full history and 2009 stats are here.

Last season was a debacle right from the outset. Instead of kick starting his major league career, Hughes went in reverse, down the hill and into the ditch. He was terrible in six April starts, but better in his two September starts. A broken rib cost Hughes three months of the season, and MIGHT have been the cause for his poor major league performance.  

No matter how he fares tonight, Hughes needs to be in the major leagues the entire season. He is the top Yankee pitching prospect, a highly touted 2004 former #1 pick. 

Although he doesn’t even have 20 career Triple A starts under his belt, he has at times dominated that level. He has dominated there this season, fared well last year in his rehab assignments and was really good in Triple A in 2007 (4-1. 2.20 ERA in five starts) before his major league callup and during his rehab from the hamstring injury.

In 14 total starts in Scranton, Hughes is 8-1 with a 3.50 ERA. There is nothing needed to prove at that level.”

That is how I began my original piece today about 6:30 PM. I am currently in Fort Lauderdale, FL and something came up while I was writing and I had to save the article and continue later. Now that I am back at the trusty computer (9:15 PM), I have noticed Phil Hughes is pitching a gem. Although I am out of town, I am recording the game on the DVR*.

* I just got my DVR yesterday. My 11 year old son had a 7:15 baseball game and I wasn’t going to be back in time for the FOX show 24. He also has a 7:15 game next Monday, too. Same time, same Jack Bauer channel. I need my Jack Bauer each and every week. If you have never watched the show, you need to go rent the first season and become addicted. I was never a Keifer Sutherland fan, but this show changed my thoughts on him. Jack Bauer is one of the best characters ever created for TV.

Anyway, Hughes is rolling along against the Tigers, although a team with all that expensive firepower, hasn’t really lit up the scoreboard yet this season. Their surprising first place success thus far has been their vaunted pitching staff, including starter Edwin Jackson who shut down the Yankees tonight.

The original idea of the piece is that Hughes needs to be in the big leagues for good. With Chien-Ming Wang out for at least a month (or more) Hughes will get those 7-8 starts. However, he deserves more than that. He deserves to be in the rotation. 

The Yankees worked out their plan very well this spring by telling Hughes he wouldn’t make the team out of spring. This allowed Hughes to concentrate on improving his pitches and not have to worry over any pressure of performing well to make the team.

When Wang gets back, there will be other fires in the rotation to be put out.

Plus, Hughes needs to work on major league hitters all the time as those minor leaguers aren’t getting him better anymore. Many times, the “seasoning” that young pitchers need is in the majors, not in Triple A. That was the same for Mark Melancon, too. He dominated the minors and needed to be brought up.

I am following the game on the cnnsi.com Game Tracker and noticed the Yankees put up a five spot so far in the top of the 7th inning. Hughes at 99 pitches through six “cruise along” innings AND a long top of the inning delay. Probably someone warming up in the pen, just to save little Phil Hughes from hurting himself. If the Yankees stop here at five runs, then Girardi should just let Hughes throw the 7th, and if he fares well, keep him dealing in the 8th, too.

No more pussy footing around with these pitchers! Let them throw the damn ball! Hughes has pretty good mechanics and a smooth delivery. Despite all his various injuries and missed time, none have been arm related!

Did everyone see how pulling your starter during a gem of a game worked for the Indians last night? I know Cliff Lee is older than Hughes, but pulling a really effective starter because of a pitch count or that the pitcher is too young, blah, blah, blah, loses more game than even Angel Berroa can while playing third base!

Well, now I see on the trusty Game Tracker that Jose Molina hit a Grand Slam, Hughes is definitely going to be pulled. And lucky for him he pitched well or he would be on the aptly named Chris Britton Scranton shuttle once again.

Now, Wang will be out, and Pettitte, although he pitched well so far in 2009, will be 37 in June and is coming off a season where he finished with a sore shoulder. AJ Burnett still only has two 30+ start seasons under his belt. 

But, the big reason why Hughes needs starts the entire season is that Joba Chamberlain will eventually be switched back to the bullpen come this September. Although I have been a big proponent of the Joba being a starter (and he will for his career), the Yankees WILL switch him to the bullpen in 2009.

Why? The dreaded innings limitation. Remember, we don’t want to upset Mr. Tom Verducci!

Joba will likely get only 150 innings this season and currently he has 16 in the books. If he makes 25 more starts at 5.1 innings per (his current average per start), that will get him to 143 innings. And the next 25 starts, assuming no skipped starts, will take 125 days or clear through the end of August.

Can you see the scenario now?

According to the Game Tracker, I noticed that Mark Melancon has entered tonight’s game and will probably dominate the Tigers. Notice who sponsor’s his page on baseball-reference.com. I got up early yesterday and waited for his page to become live.

Joba on his inning limit will reach near that 150 innings in August and be converted to the pen in September. That is similar to how the Yankees worked Phil Coke last season. Coke was a Double A starter, reached his innings limit (Why an innings limit? Coke was 25 last season, past the Verducci threshold), and was converted to the pen. I really think Coke was converted because he was originally part of that great Nady trade, was reportedly hurt, and the Yankees got scared and moved him to the pen.

But after 2009’s conversion, Joba will be a starter for next season.

Phil Hughes got his first win tonight, but either way it went, he needs to be in the major leagues. He has done all he had to do in the off season, including working on a new pitch - a cutter. And, besides his great curve ball, he has been redeveloping his change up, which he inexplicably lost last season. 

Three good pitches (fastball, curve, cutter), an improving change up plus pin point control?

Sounds like the makings of a major league starting pitcher.

Phil Hughes needs to be in the majors full time.